Punching tool provided with a tool identification medium and punch press provided with a tool identification medium reader

ABSTRACT

A punch press has a punch supporting member ( 22 ) for supporting a plurality of punches ( 26 ) and a die supporting member ( 24 ) for supporting a plurality of dies ( 28 ), wherein identification media ( 34, 36 ) representing a punch and a die identification information for identifying each tool are attached to each punch and die, respectively. The punch press comprises a punch identification medium reader ( 38 ) for reading out a punch identification information from the punch identification medium ( 34 ) attached to said punch; a die identification medium reader ( 40 ) for reading out a die identification information from the die identification medium ( 36 ) attached to said die; and a comparator ( 68 ) for comparing a punch identification information from said punch identification medium reader and a die identification information from said die identification medium reader with each other.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/021,903, filed Jul. 5, 1996, entitled “Punching Tools Equipped WithTool Identification Medium and Punch Press Equipped With ToolIdentification Medium Reading Device”, the disclosure of which isexpressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/887,279, filed on Jul. 2, 1997, and issued as U.S. Pat. No.6,163,734, the contents of which are expressly incorporated by referencein its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a punching tool provided with a toolidentification medium and a punch press provided with a toolidentification medium reader.

2. Prior Art

In a punch press for performing punching operation on a sheet workpiece,such as sheet metal, a variety of punches and dies (i.e. tools) areprovided in accordance with the shapes of holes to be made in theworkpiece. In a turret punch press, these punches and dies are mountedon upper and lower turrets each rotatably supported by a machine frame.The turrets are adapted to be rotated to selectively bring a desiredpunch-and-die pair to a predetermined working position. In another punchpress, a variety of punches and dies are stored in a tool magazine, anda desired punch-and-die pair is selected from the magazine and suppliedto a working position of the punch press.

To manage or supervise such a large number of punches and dies, it isdisclosed in prior arts to attach tool identification mediums torespective punches and dies and to detect the same identificationmediums by a suitable detection device. For example, JP63-174733Adiscloses a punch press provided with a tool changing device. In thepunch press, tool information for distinguishing upper tool and lowertool, and tool-pair information for speciying the upper and lower toolsas a upper-and-lower tool pair are stored. Further, in this press,storage positions in the tool magazine where the upper and lower toolsare accommodated are stored in the memory while being correlated to thetool-pair information. During the operation of the press, desired upperand lower tools are selected and taken out from the magazine on thebasis of such tool-pair information, so that the tools are changed withold tools on the punch press. The tool-pair information includes toolshape information, tool size information and tool clearance information.The tool information includes a tool manufacturing number and a toolmanufacturing date. Such information may be represented by bar codesthat is provided on the surface of the tools to be read by a bar codescanner.

However, conventional punches and dies have very small area for bearingthe identification medium, so that the medium representing complexinformation cannot be attached to the tools.

Further, the conventional system has the following problem. That is,when tools are stored in the tool magazine or mounted on the turret,potential operator's errors of storing the tools in an erroneousposition in the magazine or of mounting tools in an erroneous toolmounting section on the turret so as to face an erroneous directioncannot be detected.

Further, a conventional system includes another problem that when aplurality of punch presses are used, tools on the punch presses cannotbe searched because the plurality of the presses are not uniformlymanaged or supervised therein.

Further, a conventional system has a problem that a control program fora punch press were prepared without taking account of the tools mountedon the turret or stored in the tool magazine, so that working time waswasted for mounting necessary tools before actual punching operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The first feature of the present invention is a punch that is removablymounted on a punch supporting member and performs punching operations ina plate material in cooperation with a die mounted on a die supportingmember, said punch comprising:

a punch guide that has a through hole in the longitudinal direction andis mounted on said punch supporting member so as to be slidable in saidlongitudinal direction, the outside circumferential surface thereof thatis in contact with said punch supporting member being chamfered, and atool identification medium being attached to the said chamfered outsidecircumferential surface; and

a punch body that is slidably inserted into the through hole of saidpunch guide.

According to this punch, since an identification medium is not rubbedagainst the inside circumferential surface of a punch set hole of thepunch supporting member, the life of the identification medium can belengthened.

The second feature of the invention is a punch that is removably mountedon a punch supporting member and performs punching operations in a platematerial in cooperation with a die mounted on a die supporting member,said punch comprising:

a punch guide that has a through hole in the longitudinal direction andis mounted on said punch supporting member so as to be slidable in saidlongitudinal direction; and

a punch body that is slidably inserted into the through hole of saidpunch guide, a part of an outside circumferential surface thereof thatis in contact with said punch guide being chamfered, and a toolidentification medium being attached to said chamfered surface,

wherein a through hole is formed in the side surface of said punch guideso that the tool identification medium on said punch body can be checkedwhen the punch body is inserted into said punch guide.

According to this arrangement, a kind of the said punch body can bechecked in a state where the punch body is inserted into the punchguide.

The third feature of the invention is a die that is removably mounted ona die supporting member and performs punching operations in a platematerial in cooperation with a punch mounted on a punch supportingmember, said die having:

a through hole formed in its central part; a chamfered surface formed onan outside circumferential surface that is contact with said diesupporting member; and a tool identification medium (36) attached tothis chamfered surface.

According to this die, since an identification medium is not rubbedagainst the inside circumferential surface of a die set hole of the diesupporting member, the life of the identification medium can belengthened.

The fourth feature of the invention is a punch that is removably mountedon a punch supporting member and performs punching operations in a platematerial in cooperation with a die mounted on a die supporting member,

wherein said punch has a longitudinal axis and is mountable on saidpunch supporting member at a plurality of angular positions around saidlongitudinal axis, and angular position identification media forindicating angular positions of the punch in relation to said punchsupporting member are attached to the outside circumferential surface ofthe punch.

According to this arrangement, a fitting angle of the punch on the punchsupporting member can be detected by reading said angular positionidentification medium.

The fifth feature of the invention is a die that is removably mounted ona die supporting member and performs punching operations in a platematerial in cooperation with a punch mounted on a punch supportingmember, wherein said die has a through hole to engage with a punch bodyof said punch and is mountable on said die supporting member at aplurality of angular positions around said through hole, and angularposition identification media for indicating angular positions of thedie in relation to said die supporting member are attached to theoutside circumferential surface of the die.

According to this arrangement, a mounting angle of the die on the diesupporting member can be detected by reading said angular positionidentification medium.

The sixth feature of the invention is a punch press having a punchsupporting member that is rotatable and supports a plurality of punchesand a die supporting member that supports a plurality of diescorresponding to said punches and is rotatable about an axis that isparallel with the axis of rotation of said punch supporting member,wherein

a punch angular position identification medium for indicating an angularposition of a punch mounted on said punch supporting member is attachedto the outside circumferential surface of said punch;

a die angular position identification medium for indicating an angularposition of a die mounted on said die supporting member is attached tothe outside circumferential surface of said die;

the punch press comprising:

a punch angular position reader for reading out a punch angular positionfrom said punch angular position identification medium;

a die angular position reader for reading out a die angular positionfrom said die angular position identification medium;

an angular position comparator for comparing the punch angular positionand the die angular position from the respective readers with eachother.

According to this arrangement, it is possible to easily detectdifference between a mounting angle of a punch and a fitting angle of adie.

The seventh feature of the invention is a punch press having a punchsupporting member for supporting a plurality of punches and a diesupporting member for supporting a plurality of dies,

wherein identification media representing a punch and a dieidentification information for identifying each tool are attached toeach punch and die, respectively;

the punch press comprising:

a punch identification medium reader for reading out a punchidentification information from the punch identification medium attachedto said punch;

a die identification medium reader for reading out a die identificationinformation from the die identification medium attached to said die; and

a comparator for comparing a punch identification information from saidpunch identification medium reader and a die identification informationfrom said die identification medium reader with each other.

In this punch press, it is surely detected that a punch on the punchsupporting member and a die on the die supporting member do notcorrespond to each other. It is to be noted that in a prior artreference, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-164073, an errorcan occurs when punches or dies are mounted on a turret afteridentification media are read.

The eighth feature of the invention is a punch press having a punchsupporting member for supporting a plurality of punches and a diesupporting member for supporting a plurality of dies,

wherein identification media for identifying each tool are attached toeach punch and die;

the punch press comprising:

a punch identification medium reader for reading out a punchidentification information from the punch identification medium attachedto said punch;

a die identification medium reader for reading out a die identificationinformation from the die identification medium attached to said die; and

a punch-and-die identification information feedback means for combininga punch identification information from said punch identification mediumreader and a die identification information from said die identificationmedium reader in a pair to prepare a punch-and-die-pair identificationinformation and for feeding the punch-and-die-pair identificationinformation back to an automatically programming apparatus forgenerating a numerical control program for the punch press.

According to this arrangement, it is possible to prepare an NC program,using only punches and dies actually mounted on the punch press, on thebasis of the feedback signal. Therefore it is possible to minimize setupsteps for replacement of the tools.

The ninth feature of the invention is a method of preparing a programfor a punch press, wherein:

said punch press is provided with a punch supporting member thatsupports a plurality of punches and a die supporting member thatsupports a plurality of dies corresponding to said punches;

identification media for identifying each tool are attached respectivelyon each of said punches and each of said dies;

said punch press is provided with a punch identification medium readerfor reading out a punch identification information from a punchidentification medium attached to said punch and a die identificationmedium reader for reading out a die identification information from adie identification medium attached to said die;

wherein said program preparing method prepare said program by feeding apunch identification information and a die identification informationfrom said respective identification medium readers back to aautomatically programming apparatus and by allotting a punch existing onsaid punch supporting member and a die existing on said die supportingmember to a processing region on the basis of the feedback signal.

According to this arrangement, it is possible to minimize setup stepsfor replacement of the tools.

The tenth feature of the invention is a processing program preparingapparatus for a numerically controlled punch press, comprising:

a processing intention data generator for generating, on the basis ofproduct shape data, processing intention data for specifying aprocessing region to be processed to manufacture a product; and

a tool data adding section for adding, to said processing intentiondata, data for specifying a punch and a die to be used to process saidprocessing region.

According to this arrangement, it is possible to prepare an NC program,using only punches and dies actually mounted on the punch press, on thebasis of the feedback signal. Therefore it is possible to minimize setupsteps for replacement of the tools.

The eleventh feature of the invention is a punch press system providedwith a plurality of punch presses, each punch press of which comprising:

a punch supporting member for supporting a plurality of punches each ofwhich is provided with a punch identification medium;

a die supporting member for supporting a plurality of dies each of whichis provided with a die identification medium;

a punch identification medium reader for reading out a punchidentification information from the punch identification medium attachedto said punch; and

a die identification medium reader for reading out a die identificationinformation from the die identification medium attached to said die,

wherein said punch identification medium reader and said dieidentification medium reader of each of said punch presses are connectedto a central manager for collectively storing a punch identificationinformation and a die identification information.

According to this system, it is easy to locate where a necessary toolexists when replacing a tool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a figure for explaining a turret punch press according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a manner in which punches and dies are mounted on the upperand lower turrets of the turret punch press.

FIGS. 3-9 are figures for explaining manners in which punchidentification media and a die identification media are attached to thepunch and the die.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a turret punch press system.

FIG. 11 is a schematic drawing showing a manner in which identificationmedia are attached to four locations on the outside circumferentialsurface of a punch or a die.

FIG. 12 is a schematic drawing showing a manner in which the punches ordies are mounted on a turret along three tracks.

FIG. 13 is a detailed block diagram of a punch-press numericalcontroller.

FIG. 14 is a detailed block diagram of a central controller.

FIG. 15 is a schematic drawing of an example of products.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the system shown in FIG.10.

FIG. 17 is a detailed block diagram of a second embodiment of apunch-press numerical controller and a central controller of the punchpress system shown in FIG. 10.

FIGS. 18, 19, 20 a, and 20 b are explanatory drawings for explaining theoperation of the respective parts of the apparatus shown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart for showing the operation of the apparatus shownin FIG. 17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention are described in the following byusing the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a turret punch press of the embodiment. Asshown in FIG. 1, a disk-shaped upper turret (punch holding member) 22and a lower turret (die holding member) 24 are mounted on a frame 20 ofa turret punch press so as to be rotatable. A number of punches (punchassembly) 26 are mounted on the circumference of the upper turret 22 soas to be vertically movable in relation to the upper turret 22.Similarly, dies 28 corresponding to the punches are mounted on thecircumference of the lower turret 24. A striker 30 for striking a punchlocated at a predetermined position is provided at a predeterminedposition of the frame 20 so as to be vertically movable. A workpiecepositioning device 32 which moves a workpiece (sheet metal) Whorizontally and positions it between the punches 26 and the dies 28 isprovided. Therefore a desired punching can be performed in a desiredportion of a workpiece by the steps as follows: positioning a desiredpunch 26 and die 28 under the striker 30 by turning properly the turrets22, 24; positioning a desired portion of the workpiece between the punchand the die by moving properly the workpiece positioning device 32; andstriking the punch with the striker 30.

This turret punch press is provided with a punch-press numericalcontroller 33 for numerically controlling the turret punch press.

FIG. 2 is a figure for showing in more detail a punch 26 and a die 28,respectively, mounted on the upper turret 22 and the lower turret 24.

A punch guide 48 is fitted in a punch set hole 22 a of the upper turret22 so as to be vertically movable. An outer flange 48 a is formed at theupper end of the punch guide and a lifer spring 23 is provided betweenthe outer flange 48 a and the upper turret 22. Therefore the whole punch26 is held at a specified height in relation to the upper turret 22.

A punch body 46 is inserted in the punch guide 48 so as to be verticallymovable, and a punch blade 46 c is formed at the lower end of the punchbody 46.

A punch head 50 is provided on the top of the punch body 46 and a strongstripper spring 25 is provided between the outer flange 48 a at theupper end of the punch guide and the punch head 50. After a punchingoperation, the punch blade is pulled out from the die 28 and theworkpiece by the stripper spring 25. Further the die 28 has a punch hole(through hole) 26 c to engage with the punch blade 46 c and is insertedand set in a die set hole 24 a of the lower turret 24.

A punch identification medium and a die identification medium foridentifying the punch and die from other punches and dies are attachedto the punch 26 and the die 28. FIGS. 3 to 9 are explanatory figures forexplaining a punch identification medium 34 attached to the punch 26 anda die identification medium 36 attached to the die 28. Morespecifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a chamfered section 46 a is formed onthe drum section of the punch body 46 and a punch body identificationmedium 46 b is attached to this chamfered section. This chamferedsection may be formed by linear chamfer as shown in FIG. 4A or by achamfer in the shape of partial circular arc as shown in FIG. 4B or by achamfer in the shape of full circular arc as shown in FIG. 4C. Byattaching the identification medium 46 b on a surface chamfered in sucha manner, the identification medium 46 b is not rubbed against theinside circumferential wall of the punch body 48 or punch set hole 22 aof the turret 22, and the life of the identification medium can belengthen.

As shown in FIG. 5, the punch identification medium 34 is attached tothe upper collar (outer flange) 48 a of the punch guide 48. The punchidentification medium 34 can be also attached to the side surface of thepunch head 50, as shown in FIG. 5. Further the punch identificationmedium 34 can be also attached to the outside circumferential surface ofthe punch guide 48, as shown in FIG. 6. When the punch identificationmedium 34 is attached to the outside circumferential surface, it isdesirable to form a chamfered section as shown in FIG. 4 and attach thepunch identification medium 34 to the chamfered section. By forming achamfered section on the outside circumferential surface, acomparatively wide area to attach an identification medium can besecured and thus a comparatively complicated identification medium canbe attached thereto. Further the punch identification medium 34 can bealso attached to the top of the punch head 50, as shown in FIG. 7.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, it is desired to form, in the outsidecircumferential portion of the punch guide 48, a through hole 48 b at aposition corresponding to the punch body identification medium 46 b whenthe punch body 46 is inserted into the punch guide 48. With this hole,even after the punch body 46 is inserted into the punch guide 48, thepunch body identification medium 46 b attached to the punch body 46 canbe identified from the outside. The following advantages are brought bythis arrangement: When a plurality of punch bodies and stripper platesare used for one punch guide, the punch body and the stripper plate isnot uniquely determined only from a shape of the punch guide. However,by reading the identification medium 46 b of a punch body 46 through thethrough hole 48 b, the punch body and the stripper plate can beidentified while the punch body is inserted into the punch guide.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show manners in which a die identification medium isattached to the die 28. In a manner shown in FIG. 8, a chamfered section28 a is formed on the outside circumferential surface of the die 28, anda die identification medium 36 is attached to the chamfered section 28a. In a manner shown in FIG. 9, a die identification medium 36 isattached to a tapered section 28 b of the upper end of the die 28.

The punch identification medium 34 and the die identification medium 36are composed of, for example, a bar code, a two-dimensional code (VERIcode, PDF417 code, or QR code), an ID tag, an IC chip, and a marker.

In case that the identification media 34 and 36 are a bar code, aninfrared apparatus or a laser apparatus is desirable as a means forreading the identification medium but a camera or the like will do.

When the punch 26 and the die 28 is set in specified set holes 22 a and24 a of the turrets 22 and 24, the punch 26 is first set on the upperturret 22 after a punch identification medium 34 is read, for example,by means of a suitable portable reading means (not shown). Then anidentification medium of the die 28 is read. At this time, if the dieidentification medium 36 does not coincide or match with a punchidentification information from the punch identification medium 34, anerror signal is outputted. If the punch identification information fromthe punch identification medium 34 and the die identificationinformation from the die identification medium 36 coincide or match witheach other, position information (station information) of the set holes22 a and 24 a on the turrets and an punch identification information anda die identification information are stored together in a memory of thepunch-press numerical controller as a set of data.

Further when a plurality of punch bodies and stripper plates are usedalternately for one punch guide, it is possible to read anidentification medium on the punch guide 48 and an identification mediumon the punch body 46 and store them as a set of data in the numericalcontroller. Therefore the punch body of a punch to be used can besearched from the data of the punch guide.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a turret punch press system. This systemis provided with a first and a second turret punch press 52 and 53 eachof which is provided with tool identification medium readers, a firstand a second punch press numerical controller 54 and 55 for numericallycontrolling the presses, a tool storage device 56, a tool-storage-devicenumerical controller 58, and a central controller 60 for controllingcollectively the turret punch presses and the tool storage device. Sincethe first and the second turret punch presses 52 and 53, and the firstand the second punch-press numerical controllers 54 and 55 have the samearrangement, only the first punch press and the first punch-pressnumerical controller are described in the following.

As shown in FIG. 10, the punch press 52 is provided with an upper turret22 and a lower turret 24 so as to be rotatable in the same way as theturret punch press in FIG. 1. Mounted on the upper turret 22 and thelower turret 24 are punches 26 and dies 28, respectively. A punchidentification medium 34 and a die identification medium 36 foridentifying the punch and the die are attached, respectively, to each ofthe punches 26 and each of the dies 28 (see FIGS. 3 to 9). The punchidentification medium 34 and the die identification medium 36 areattached at four locations at equal intervals on the outsidecircumferential surfaces of the punch 26 and the die 28, respectively(only one place out of the four is illustrated). Further, in FIG. 10,the identification medium 34 of the punch 26 is attached to the punchhead 50 as shown in FIG. 5, and the identification medium 36 of the die28 is attached to the die tapered section 28 b as shown in FIG. 9.

A punch identification information contained in the punch identificationmedium 34 includes the following:

1. Range (tool diameter or punch guide diameter),

2. Shape (circle, square, oval, rectangle, double D, single D, centerpunch, burring, triangle, special shape, tapping, molding, marking,corner radius, rectangle with rounded corner, or the like),

3. Shape sub-code (for triangle: equilateral triangle, right-angledtriangle, or the like; for rectangle: slotting or regular),

4. Type (whether or not an air blowing function (see Japanese UtilityModel Application Laid-Open Publication No. 4-15377) is provided, or thelike),

5. Dimensions (X-dimension, Y-dimension, and R-dimension),

6. Mounting angle (showing an angle in mounting),

7. Identification number (identification number of each punch).

A die identification information contained in the die identificationmedium 36 includes the following:

1. Range (hole diameter and die outside diameter),

2. Shape (circle, square, oval, rectangle, double D, single D, centerpunch, burring, triangle, special shape, tapping, molding, marking,corner radius, rectangle with rounded corner, or the like),

3. Shape sub-code (for triangle: equilateral triangle, right-angledtriangle, or the like; for rectangle: slotting or regular),

4. Type (whether or not the air blowing function is provided, etc.),

5. Dimensions (X-dimension, Y-dimension, and R-dimension),

6. Mounting angle (showing an angle in mounting),

7. Identification number (identification number of each punch).

Among the identification information, the “angle” has a different valuefor each position set on the outside circumferential surface of thepunch 26 and the die 28. For example, in case of the die identificationmedium, four identification media 36 a, 36 b, 36 c, and 36 d areattached as shown in FIG. 11, and the angles of the respectiveidentification media are set as 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270° from a key 57 ofthe die 28 as a reference.

In this specification, the punch and the die may be called generally asa “tool”, and the punch identification medium 34 and the dieidentification medium 36 may be called generally as a “toolidentification medium.”

A punch identification medium reader 38 for reading out a punchidentification information from the punch identification medium 34 and adie identification medium reader 40 for reading out a die identificationinformation from the die identification medium 36 are provided at theside of the upper turret 22 and the lower turret 24 of the turret punchpress (in case that the identification media 34 and 36 particularlycontain an angular position information of a punch mounting angle and adie mounting angle, the identification media are called, respectively, apunch angular position identification medium and a die angular positionidentification medium, and the respective readers are called,respectively, a punch angular position identification medium reader anda die angular position identification medium reader). The readers 38 and40 can read, respectively, a tool identification information of everypunch 26 and die 28 on the turrets by rotating the upper turret 22 andlower turret 24.

The readers 38 and 40 are adapted to be movable in a radial direction ofthe turrets 22 and 24. And the readers 38 and 40 are provided,respectively, with reader moving means 42 and 44 in order to move thereaders in the radial direction. Therefore even when punches 22 (or dies24) are mounted on three tracks on the turret 22 (or 24), for example,as shown in FIG. 12, these readers can easily move close to a toolidentification medium of the punch 26 (or die 28) located at the innerside of the turret to read its tool identification information. Thereader moving means 42 and 44 move the readers 38 and 40 on the basis ofsignals from the machine controller 54. The reader moving means 42 and44 that move the readers 38 and 40 may be implemented through anysuitable combination of conventional moving mechanisms or equipment,including servo or electric motors, racks, gear drive trains, rollers,etc.

As shown in FIG. 13, the first punch-press numerical controller 54 isprovided with a punch identification information storing section 62, adie identification information storing section 64, a punch-and-die-pairidentification information generating section 66, a punch-and-die-pairidentification information comparator 68, and a punch-and-die-pairidentification information feedback section 70.

According to the above-mentioned arrangement, a punch identificationinformation and a die identification information from the punchidentification medium reader 38 and a die identification medium reader40 are supplied to the punch-and-die-pair identification informationgenerator 66 through the punch identification information storingsection 62 and the die identification information storing section 64.

Inputted into the punch-and-die-pair identification informationgenerator 66 is a turret turning position information from an encoder 74provided on a turret driver 72 of the first turret punch press 52 inaddition to the punch identification information and the dieidentification information. Therefore the generator 66 allots the punchidentification information and the die identification information toeach tool mounting position (tool station) on each turret on the basisof these information, and generates a punch-and-die-pair identificationinformation as shown in the following Table 1.

TABLE 1 Tool Punch Die mounting Mounting Mounting position Shape Sizeangle Shape Size angle 101 SH1 SZ1 A1 SH1 SZ1 A1 102 SH2 SZ2 A2 SH2 SZ2A2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The punch-and-die-pair identification information generator 66 computesa clearance value corresponding to a difference between a size of thelower end of a punch and a size of a die hole on the basis of a punchidentification information and a die identification information.Therefore, although not shown in the above table, the punch-and-die-pairidentification information also includes such a clearance value for eachtool mounting position.

The generator 66 can also store its generated information and is calleda punch-and-die-pair identification information storing means.

The punch-and-die-pair identification information comparator 68 issupplied with the punch-and-die-pair identification information from thepunch-and-die-pair identification information generator 66 as well aswith a numerical control (NC) program from the central controller 60.The NC program has a content as shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2 An example of NC programs (UT/T101, SH1, SZ1, CL=0.2, A=0°)(UT/T102, SH4, SZ4, CL=0.2, A=45°)        . . . G92 X=. . . , Y=. . . ;X=. . . , Y=. . . , T115; X=. . . , Y=. . . , T110;     . . . G50

Here, the lines shown by the UT/T101, UT/T102, and the like represent alist of tools used in this NC program, and the lines shown by G92, G50,and the like represent a processing program. More specifically, in thelines representing the tool list, UT/T101 and UT/T102 represent that theupper tools (namely, punches) have their mounting positions of T101 andT102, and SH1 and SH4 represent that the tools in the mounting positionshave shapes of SH1 and SH4, and SZ1 and SZ4 represent that the toolshave sizes of SZ1 and SZ4, and CL=0.2 and CL=0.2 represent that thepunch and the die have a clearance of 0.2, and A=0° and A=45° representthat the tools have respectively mounting angles of 0° and 45°. The diesto be used are represented by the shapes, sizes and mounting angles ofthe punches, and clearances between the dies and the punches.

That is, the NC program includes the list of tools to be used in thisprocessing together with the processing program. Therefore thepunch-and-die-pair identification information comparator 68 compares thepunch identification information and die identification information fromthe punch-and-die-pair identification information generator 66 with eachother and compares these information with a tool information containedin the NC program. For example, for each tool mounting position T, thecomparator 68 compares a shape data in the punch identificationinformation, a shape data in the die identification information and atool shape data in the NC program with one another and then judgeswhether or not all of the three datum coincide with one another. And thecomparator 68 performs such a comparison one after another in relationto all of the seven features (range, shape, shape-sub-code, type, size,mounting angle, and identification number). In case that discordance isdetected during the comparison, the discordance is displayed on a CRTdisplay 76 provided in the numerical controller 54.

In case that these three data coincide with one another in relation toall the seven features, the comparator 68 further compares a clearancevalue in the punch-and-die-pair identification information and aclearance value in the NC program with each other. If the clearancevalues do not coincide with each other, the discordance is displayed onthe CRT in the same manner as described above. Coincidence of theclearance values can be judged also by the following condition equation.Supposing that a punch size (size of the blade of the lower end of apunch) is Xp and a die size (size of the hole of a die) is Xd in apunch-and-die-pair identification information, and a clearance value inthe NC program is c, and a tolerance is δ, when the Xp and Xd satisfythe equation,Xp+c−δ≦Xd≦Xp+c+δ,the clearance value in the punch-and-die-pair identification informationand the clearance value in the NC program coincide with each other.

The comparator 68 is called an angular position comparator especiallywhen it compares mounting angles of a punch and a die with each other.

The punch-and-die-pair identification information feedback section 70feeds back the punch-and-die-pair identification information generatedby the punch-and-die-pair identification information generator 66 to thecentral controller 60. More specifically the punch-and-die-pairidentification information is fed back to an automatic program generatorand a central manager provided in the central controller 60, asdescribed later. Here, it is possible to provide, between thepunch-and-die-pair identification information generator 66 and thepunch-and-die-pair identification information feedback section 70, apunch and die identification information comparator that compares apunch identification information and a die identification informationincluded in a punch-and-die-pair identification information from thepunch-and-die-pair identification information generator 66 with eachother to determine whether they coincide with each other. In case thatthere is discordance, that result is displayed on the CRT 76.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the centralcontroller 60. The central controller is provided with an automaticprogram generator (automatically programming apparatus) 78 and a centralmanager 80.

The automatic program generator 78 receives a punch-and-die-pairidentification information from the punch-and-die-pair identificationinformation feedback section 70. And it recognizes tools (a punch and adie) mounted on the turrets 22 and 24 of the turret punch press 52 onthe basis of the punch-and-die-pair identification information, andgenerates an NC program using the tools mounted on the turrets 22 and 24as much as possible. For example, in case of manufacturing a product Wshown in FIG. 15, let us consider a process of punching a hole H1 of30×20 (dimensional unit is “mm”, and hereinafter is the same). Thispunching process is performed usually by a continuously progressingpunching process (nibbling process) using a punch having a blade ofrectangle with smaller sides than this hole and a die having a die holecorresponding to this blade, and an automatically programming apparatusof the prior art has selected a punch having a blade of rectangle havingsides as large as possible and a die having a die hole corresponding tothis blade from a demand for shortening a tact time and improving afinished surface in flatness. In this case, however, when the selectedpunch and die are not mounted on the turrets 22 and 24, a loss time inthe process occurs due to a setup operation of replacing tools.Therefore, to prepare a program for punching the hole H1, the automaticprogram generator in accordance with this invention selects a punch anda die that have been already mounted on the turrets 22 and 24 even atsome cost of a tact time, flatness of a finished surface, and the like.For example, when a tool of 10×10 square and a tool of 15×15 square areconsidered as a tool for making the hole H1 and when the former ismounted on the turret and the latter is not mounted on the turret, thetool of 10×10 square is selected even if the tool of 15×15 square isdesirable from the viewpoint of tact time and flatness of the finishedsurface.

Likewise, in order to punch holes H2 and H3, tools (punches and dies)that are mounted on the turrets 22 and 24 are selected.

The central manager 80 controls collectively the first punch-pressnumerical controller 54 for controlling the first turret punch press 52,the second punch-press numerical controller 55 for controlling thesecond turret punch press 53 and the tool-storage-device numericalcontroller 58 for controlling the tool storage device 56.

The central manager 80 receives a punch-and-die-pair identificationinformation from the punch-and-die-pair identification informationfeedback section 70, as describe above, and stores it in its storagesection. Incidentally, the feedback section 70 as described above isprovided also in the second punch-press numerical controller 55 and thetool storage device numerical controller 58. Therefore the centralmanager 80 can manage locations of tools mounted on or stored in all ofthe first turret punch press 52, the second turret punch press 53, andthe tool storage device 56 by receiving and storing a punch-and-die-pairidentification information from each feedback section 70. The managinginformation is supplied to the automatically programming apparatus 78.When preparing an NC program for the first punch press 52, if a toolthat is not mounted on the punch press 52 is inevitably to be used, theautomatically programming apparatus 78 displays on a CRT or the like astation of the second punch press on which the replacing tool ismounted, or a storage location of the tool storage device in which thereplacing tool is stored.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining the overall operation of theturret punch press system. With reference to FIG. 16, in step S1,identification media attached to all punches and dies mounted on thefirst and second turret punch presses 52 and 53 are read by the readingmeans 38 and 40, and identification media attached to all punches anddies stored in the tool storage device 56 are read by an apparatussimilar to the reading means 38 and 40, and then every punch and dieidentification information is stored in a storage section in the centralmanager 80. Incidentally, in step S1, a die body identification medium46 b attached to the die body shown in FIG. 3 can also be read. In thiscase, it is desirable to read the identification medium 46 b, forexample, by means of a portable reading means, which is not illustrated.

In step S2, it is determined whether or not to display a list of tools(punches and dies) mounted on the first turret punch press on the CRTscreen of the automatically programming apparatus 78. If it isdisplayed, the system goes to step S3 and displays the tool list on theCRT screen. After finishing displaying the tool list, the system goes tostep S4. If it is determined not to display the tool list in step S2,the system directly goes to step S4.

In step S4, the automatically programming apparatus 78 prepares an NCprogram for the first turret punch press, for example. Here, when a toollist has been displayed in the step S3, the system prepares the NCprogram while referring to the displayed tool list. In this case, itprepares the NC program by selecting tools mounted on the first turretpunch press 52 as much as possible. Thus, it is possible to minimizeman-hours for replacement of tools after preparing the NC program. Whenthe tool list is not been displayed, the NC program is preparedindependently from tools mounted on the first turret punch press.

In step S5, it is determined whether or not at least one punch or dienot mounted on the first turret punch press was used in preparing the NCprogram in the step S4, and in case of “Yes”, the system goes to stepS6. In step S6, the system displays a tool identification information ofa tool Tx that is selected in preparing the NC program but is notmounted on the first turret punch press.

In step S7, it is determined whether or not to search the tool Tx, andin case of “Yes”, the system goes to step S8. In step S8, the systemsearch the location where the tool Tx is mounted or stored on the basisof the punch and die identification information stored in the step S1and displays a result of this search on a screen of a CRT and the like.

In step S9, the tool Tx is taken out from the mounting or storinglocation and is mounted on the turrets 22 and 24 of the first turretpunch press, and then the system goes to step S10.

If the tool Tx is not searched in step S7, the system goes to step S9,where the tool Tx is taken out from a specified mounting or storinglocation on the basis of memory of an operator and the like and ismounted on the turrets 22 and 24. Then the system goes to step S10.

In case of “No” in the step S5, the system directly goes to S10.

In step S10, it is checked at the punch-and-die-pair identificationinformation comparator 68 of the first punch-press numerical controller54 on the basis of the NC program whether or not a punch and dieidentification information on the first turret punch press 52 and a toolinformation on the NC program coincide with each other. This check isparticularly important in case of preparing the NC program by usingtools not mounted on the turret punch press 52. The reason is that inthis case a tool replacement is manually carried out in step S9, andtherefore there is a chance that a wrong tool (punch and die) is mountedon the turrets 22 and 24 in this tool replacement. If it is confirmedthat a punch and die identification information on the punch press 52and a tool information on the NC program coincide with each other instep S10, the system performs the punching process by means of the firstturret punch press 52 in step S11, and then finishes the overalloperation in step S12.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of the firstpunch-press numerical controller 54 and the central controller 60 inFIG. 10. The first punch-press numerical controller 54 and the centralcontroller 60 of this embodiment includes a processing intention datagenerator for generating processing intention data for determining onthe basis of shape data of a product an area to be processed in aworkpiece and a tool selector for selecting a tool for processing theprocessing area on the basis of the processing intention data.

More specifically the automatically programming apparatus 78 is providedwith an input section 82, a shape data generator 84, a design intentiondata adding section 86, a shape feature data adding section 88, and aprocessing intention data generator 90.

The shape data generator 84 generates shape data of a product on thebasis of an image data inputted through the input section 82. Theseshape data are simply a set of geometrical elements (point, line,circle, arc, and the like). In case of a product shown in FIG. 15, forexample, the shape data are composed of data of lines L1 to L13, data ofarc C1, and data of circle C2, as shown in FIG. 18. In this case, forexample, data of a line is composed of coordinates (x1,y1) and (x2,y2)of both end points of the line, and data of an arc is composed ofcoordinates (x0,y0) of its center, a radius R, and a beginning angle θ 1and an ending angle θ 2 of the arc.

In the design intention data adding section 86, when shape data areinputted from the shape data generator 84, design intention data areadded to the shape data by operation of an operator. The designintention data are data for expressing what intention of a designer iscontained in the respective geometrical elements when it is taken intoaccount that the shape data is a metal-plate design drawing. In case ofa product shown in FIGS. 15 and 18, for example, the design intentiondata are composed of the following data, namely,

1. Data expressing that a loop composed of lines L1 to L6 defines theexternal shape;

2. Data expressing that a loop composed of lines L9 to L12 defines aregularly-shaped hole;

3. Data expressing that a circle C2 defines a regularly-shaped hole;

4. Data expressing that a loop composed of lines L7 and L8 and an arc C1defines an irregularly-shaped hole; and

5. Data expressing that a line L13 defines a bending line.

The data of the items 1 to 5 are prepared by an operator inputting themeaning of each of the loops and the lines through the input section 82but can also be generated automatically.

In the shape-feature-data adding section 88, when data are inputted fromthe design intention adding section 86, shape-feature-data are furtheradded on the basis of those data by operation of the operator. Theseshape-feature-data are data for expressing a feature of the shape from aviewpoint of actually performing punching operations. In case of anexample in FIG. 18, the shape-feature-data are composed of the followingdata, namely,

1. Data expressing that the outside of the lines L1, L2, L3, and L6 areto be linearly punched;

2. Data expressing that joints are to be formed at a corner A1 by thelines L1 and L2, a corner A2 by the lines L2 and L3, a corner A3 by thelines L3 and L4, a corner A4 by the lines L4 and L5, and a corner A5 bythe lines L5 and L6 (where the joint is a residual section that is leftat the corner to join a product to a base material when the workpiece ispunched and cut out while leaving only the corner section uncut in viewof the fact that if the outside of the external loop composed of thelines L1 to L6 is completely punched off, the product is separated fromthe base material and it is difficult to take out the product from theturret punch press);

3. Data expressing that the inside of the loop composed of the lines L9to L12 are to be processed in a rectangular hole;

4. Data expressing that the inside of the circle C2 processed in a roundhole; and

5. Data expressing that the inside of the lines L7 and L8 and the arc C1is processed in irregularly-shaped hole.

The data of the items 1 to 5 are also prepared by an operator who inputsthe features related to the section through the input section 82 eachtime the operator designates the respective section; however, they canalso be generated automatically.

In the processing intention data generator 90, “processing intentiondata” are generated on the basis of the data from the shape feature dataadding section through an operation of the operator. “Processingintention data” are data in a step immediately prior to the preparationof a specified NC program, in which data a tool is not specified. Incase of an example in FIGS. 15 and 18, the processing intention data areas follows (see FIG. 19).

-   -   1. Region R1:        -   Processing intention: straight line allocation (outside            cutting),        -   Processing pattern: continuously progressing punching,        -   Position, range, and progressing direction:            -   Continuously progressing punching starting point=a point                distant from point A5 toward A1 on the line L1 by a                joint width JW,            -   Continuously progressing punching end point=a point                distant from point A1 toward A5 on the line L1 by a                joint width JW,            -   Continuously progressing punching width=not less than 5                mm and not more than 10 mm,        -   Processing order: after punching of individual holes,    -   2. Region R2:        -   Processing intention: straight line allocation (outside            cutting),        -   Processing pattern: continuously progressing punching,        -   Position, range, and progressing direction:            -   Continuously progressing punching starting point=a point                distant from point A1 toward A2 on the line L2 by a                joint width,            -   Continuously progressing punching end point=a point                distant from point A2 toward A1 on the line L2 by a                joint width,            -   Continuously progressing punching width=not less than 5                mm and not more than 10 mm,        -   Processing order: after punching of individual holes,    -   3. Region R3:        -   Processing intention: straight line allocation (outside            cutting),        -   Processing pattern: continuously progressing punching,        -   Position, range, and progressing direction:            -   Continuously progressing punching starting point=a point                distant from point A2 toward A3 on the line L3 by a                joint width,            -   Continuously progressing punching end point=a point                distant from point A3 toward A2 on the line L3 by a                joint width,            -   Continuously progressing punching width=not less than 5                mm and not more than 10 mm,        -   Processing order: after making holes,    -   4. Region R4:        -   Processing intention: L-shaped corner processing,        -   Processing pattern: One-way, exhaustive punching-out,        -   Position, range, and punching-out direction:            -   One-way, exhaustive punching-out starting point=a point                having as its x-coordinate the x-coordinate of a point                distant from point A3 toward A5 on the corner L (that is                formed by lines L4 and L5) by a joint width and having                as its y-coordinate the y-coordinate of a point distant                from point A4 toward A5 of the corner L by a joint                width,            -   One-way, exhaustive punching-out end point=a point A5 on                the corner L,            -   Punching-out direction: direction from point A3 toward                A5 on the corner L,        -   Processing order: after punching of individual holes,    -   5. Region R5:        -   Processing intention: straight line allocation (outside            cutting),        -   Processing pattern: continuously progressing punching,        -   Position, range, and progressing direction:            -   Continuously progressing punching starting point=a point                distant from point A4 toward A5 on the line L6 by a                joint width,            -   Continuously progressing punching end point=a point                distant from point A5 toward A4 on the line L6 by a                joint width,            -   Continuously progressing punching width=not less than 5                mm and not more than 10 mm,        -   Processing order: after punching of individual holes,    -   6. Region R6:        -   Processing intention: irregularly-shaped hole,        -   Processing pattern: fan-shape single punching,        -   Designation of dies: No. 1,        -   Position, range, and punching direction:            -   Reference position for the single punching=a point 7 on                the irregularly-shaped hole,        -   Processing order: prior to processing the outside area,    -   7. Region R7:        -   Processing intention: round hole,        -   Processing pattern: single punching or rose-shaped            exhaustive punching-out by a single tool,        -   Position, range, and punching direction:            -   Center position=center of the circle of the round hole,            -   Range=inside of the circle whose radius is equal to the                round hole,            -   Punching direction=from center to circumference of the                circle,        -   Processing order: prior to processing the outside area,    -   8. Region R8:        -   Processing intention: rectangular hole,        -   Processing pattern: single punching or one-way exhaustive            punching-out or back-and-forth moving exhaustive            punching-out,        -   Position, range, and punching direction:            -   Reference position for single punching=center of the                rectangle,            -   Area of single punching=inside of the rectangle having                points A11 and A13 on the rectangular hole as a pair of                opposite corner points,            -   Starting point of one-way exhaustive punching-out, or                back-and-forth moving exhaustive punching-out=point All                on the rectangular hole,            -   End point of one-way exhaustive punching-out, or                back-and-forth moving exhaustive punching-out=point A13                on the rectangular hole,            -   Punching direction=from point A11 to A10 on the                rectangular hole        -   Processing order: prior to processing the outside area

As understood from the above description, although a tool is designatedby the tool designation from the input section 82 for processing of theregion 6, no tool is designated for processing of the other regions.

With the automatically programming apparatus as arranged above, the“processing intention data” which are immediately previous data formaking an NC program for manufacturing a product of this shape by meansof a punching process and in which tools are almost not specified aregenerated from a shape data.

The first punch-press numerical controller 54 is provided with an NCprogram generator 100 provided with a tool data adding section (toolselector) 96 and a processing locus data adding section (a processinglocus determiner) 98, in addition to the punch identificationinformation storing section 62, the die identification informationstoring section 64, the punch-and-die-pair identification informationgenerator 66, and the punch-and-die-pair identification informationcomparator 68.

More specifically when processing intention data are inputted from theprocessing intention data generator 90 through the central manager 80,the tool data adding section 96 adds data of proper tools (pair of punchand die) to the processing regions R1 to R6 and R8 in the processingintention data by referring to the information from thepunch-and-die-pair identification information generator 66 and tosuggestions on the ways of using the tools, stored in advance in thetool data adding section 96 (that is, it selects and assigns propertools to the respective processing regions R1 to R6 and R8). At thattime, it is desirable to select tools mounted on the turrets 22 and 24of the first punch press 52 as much as possible. And when punching theround hole of R7, it is desirable to select a tool that can punch thehole by a single punching without carrying out a nibbling to obtain afine finish. Furthermore, in the continuously progressing punchingprocess and the exhaustive punching-out process for R1 to R5 and R8,tools are selected such that their sizes are as large as possible so asto reduce a processing time, and at the same time unbalanced load, whichis produced by a final punching operation to cut off a section with verysmall size, is not occurred. Further, although not illustrated, it isalso possible to chose a new tool, with reference to data concerning thefrequency of use of each tool and stored in advance, to obtain a finefinishing. On the other hand, it is also possible to use up a frequentlyused tool by using such tool with priority in order to reduce a man-hourfor tool management.

In the processing locus data adding section 98, processing locus dataare added by operation of an operator to the data supplied from the tooldata adding section (tool selector). The processing locus data are datafor specifying a processing locus in case that there are a plurality ofprocessing loci in regions R4, R8, and the like as shown in FIGS. 20Aand 20B.

The NC program generator 100 generates eventually an NC program for thefirst turret punch press on the basis of data in the processing locusdata adding section 98.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure for generating an NCprogram for the first turret punch press in a turret punch press systemprovided with the automatically programming apparatus and thepunch-press numerical controller of the sec embodiment. That is to say,the system generates shape data in step S30, adds design intention datain step S31, adds shape feature data in step S32, generates processingintention data in step S33, and adds tool data to processing regions R1to R6 and R8 (that is, it selects and assigns tools to the respectiveregions R1 to R6 and R8) in step S34. In this step S34, in the samemanner as the embodiment shown in FIG. 16, tools that are alreadymounted on the turrets 22 and 24 of the first turret punch press 52 areselected as much as possible. In case of selecting a tool not mounted onthe turret of the first turret punch press 52, the system stores anidentification number and the like of the tool.

Then the system adds tool locus data to the exhaustive punching-outregion in step S35, and generates an NC program in step S36.

In step S37, the system determines whether at least one tool that is notmounted on the first turret punch press has been selected when the tooldata are added in the step S34, and if at least one tool not mounted hasbeen selected, the system goes to step S38. In step S38, the systemdisplays the identification number and the like of the tool that hasbeen selected but not mounted on the first punch press. In step S39, thesystem searches a place where such tool is stored in the same manner asin steps S7 and S8 in FIG. 16 (information of the place where the toolsis stored is stored in advance in the numerical controller 54 or thecentral manager 80 in the same manner as the steps S1 in FIG. 16), andtakes out the tool from the searched place, and then mounts thetaken-out tool on the first turret punch press. And in step S40, thesystem finishes generating the NC program.

In case of “No” in step S37, the system directly goes to step S40 andterminates generating the NC program.

1. A method of preparing a program for a punch press, wherein said punchpress is provided with a punch supporting member that supports aplurality of punches, a die supporting member that supports a pluralityof dies corresponding to said punches and a tool storage device thatstores the plurality of punches and the plurality of dies; andidentification media to identify each tool are attached respectively oneach of said punches and each of said dies; said punch press is providedwith a punch identification medium reader that reads out a punchidentification information from a punch identification medium attachedto said punch and a die identification medium reader that reads out adie identification information from a die identification medium attachedto said die; wherein said program preparing method prepares said programby feeding a plurality of punch identification information and aplurality of die identification information from said respectiveidentification medium readers back to an automatic programming apparatusand by allotting a plurality of punches existing on said punchsupporting member and a plurality of dies existing on said diesupporting member to a workplace region to be processed such that atotal number of replacements of punches in said punch supporting memberand dies in said die supporting member is minimized, said programpreparing method comprising: identifying punches mounted on the punchsupport member and dies mounted on the die support member; generating anNC program for the punch press by selecting a punch mounted on the punchsupport member and a die mounted on the die support member; identifyinga punch and a die stored in the tool storage device and selected ingenerating the NC program; and generating a program for replacement ofthe punch and die mounted on the support members with the punch and diestored in the tool storage device and selected in generating the NCprogram, wherein the NC program is generated by selecting a maximumnumber of tools currently mounted for use such that tools of theselected maximum number of tools currently mounted will not requirereplacement.
 2. The method of preparing a program for a punch press ofclaim 1, wherein said program preparing method further maximizes anefficiency.
 3. The method of preparing a program for a punch press ofclaim 2, wherein the maximized efficiency of the program preparingmethod is determined by minimizing a total number of punch replacementsand die replacements offset by maximizing a measure of flatness of afinished surface.
 4. The method of preparing a program for a punch pressof claim 2, wherein the maximized efficiency of the program preparingmethod is determined by minimizing a total number of replacements ofpunches and dies offset by minimizing a tact time.
 5. The method ofpreparing a program for a punch press of claim 2, wherein the maximizedefficiency of the program preparing method is determined by minimizing atotal number of replacements of punches and dies offset by minimizingthe number of punches required to obtain a fine finish.